MS and Pregnancy - Some Things to Consider
For most women MS and pregnancy has no adverse effects either on the course of the disease or on pregnancy, labor, or delivery.
In fact many women with MS have noted that their relapses or attacks seem to be less frequent during pregnancy and in fact the MS seems to remit or stabilise whilst pregnant.
It is thought that this is because pregnancy hormones effectively suppress the activity of the immune system which allows for the fetus to be carried.
Even though the fetus has genetic material from both the mother and the father the mother's body should try to reject it as foreign tissue, and during pregnancy this is prevented from happening by a natural process that takes place to suppress the mother's immune system in the uterus.
Obstetricians tend to treat labor for a patient with MS much the same as for other women and pain reliefs used include the Lamaze technique, epidurals or general and anaesthetics.
If the patient has a severe lack of sensation they will be closely monitored as delivery date approaches in case they are unable to detect contractions.
For those women who are on multiple sclerosis drugs it is advisable to speak with your doctor before becoming pregnant as some of these drugs can cause birth defects.
It is likely that these drugs will need to be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Most women have found that MS relapses are much more common in the six months after childbirth although there is no evidence that pregnancy or childbirth will affect the long-term course of the disease.
It has also been noted that MS does not seem to add adversely affect fertility except in cases where there is a prevalence of symptoms of sexual dysfunction.
MS and pregnancy issues are commonplace given that the majority of MS sufferers (particularly women) are of childbearing age, so your neurologist will no doubt have much experience of this area.
It is important before considering pregnancy to speak with your doctor and your neurologist and put a plan in place for management, particularly if you need to stop taking medications.
You should also consider your diet when thinking about becoming pregnant and try to eat the optimum foods for both MS and pregnancy.
Build your system up with natural foods and fruit and vegetables keeping away from the saturated fats and refined foods giving yourself the best chance for a successful pregnancy.
In fact many women with MS have noted that their relapses or attacks seem to be less frequent during pregnancy and in fact the MS seems to remit or stabilise whilst pregnant.
It is thought that this is because pregnancy hormones effectively suppress the activity of the immune system which allows for the fetus to be carried.
Even though the fetus has genetic material from both the mother and the father the mother's body should try to reject it as foreign tissue, and during pregnancy this is prevented from happening by a natural process that takes place to suppress the mother's immune system in the uterus.
Obstetricians tend to treat labor for a patient with MS much the same as for other women and pain reliefs used include the Lamaze technique, epidurals or general and anaesthetics.
If the patient has a severe lack of sensation they will be closely monitored as delivery date approaches in case they are unable to detect contractions.
For those women who are on multiple sclerosis drugs it is advisable to speak with your doctor before becoming pregnant as some of these drugs can cause birth defects.
It is likely that these drugs will need to be avoided during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Most women have found that MS relapses are much more common in the six months after childbirth although there is no evidence that pregnancy or childbirth will affect the long-term course of the disease.
It has also been noted that MS does not seem to add adversely affect fertility except in cases where there is a prevalence of symptoms of sexual dysfunction.
MS and pregnancy issues are commonplace given that the majority of MS sufferers (particularly women) are of childbearing age, so your neurologist will no doubt have much experience of this area.
It is important before considering pregnancy to speak with your doctor and your neurologist and put a plan in place for management, particularly if you need to stop taking medications.
You should also consider your diet when thinking about becoming pregnant and try to eat the optimum foods for both MS and pregnancy.
Build your system up with natural foods and fruit and vegetables keeping away from the saturated fats and refined foods giving yourself the best chance for a successful pregnancy.
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